Laguna Hills Mall
Former enclosed shopping mall in Laguna Hills, California, later redeveloped as the Village at Laguna Hills.
Last updated August 24, 2026
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Overview
Laguna Hills Mall was an enclosed shopping mall in Laguna Hills, California, serving communities in southern Orange County. It opened in phases beginning in 1973 and developed into a regional retail center anchored by Sears, Buffums, The Broadway, and J.C. Penney. The first phase contained approximately 393,000 square feet of retail space and 55 stores, while the second phase expanded the complex to approximately 832,000 square feet and 83 stores. Its tenant mix reflected the department-store-centered model common to American suburban malls during the 1970s and 1980s. Sears was the first anchor to open, occupying a building of approximately 214,000 square feet in spring 1973. Buffums, a Southern California department-store chain, opened a two-level store in September of that year. The Broadway followed in August 1975, and J.C. Penney joined the center in 1976. The property reportedly represented an estimated $50 million investment at the time of its initial development. During the early 1990s, Buffums was liquidated and closed. Its former upper level was later converted into a food court, which operated from 1994 through 2011 and was the mall's principal second-level public area. The Broadway was converted to Macy's in May 1996. The mall entered a period of structural change as department-store retail weakened and redevelopment became more attractive than maintaining the enclosed center. Merlone Geier Partners acquired the property from Simon Property Group in May 2013 and purchased the Sears building the following year. Sears closed in July 2014. Renovation and redevelopment work began in 2016, with plans initially associated with a proposed rebranding as Five Lagunas. The plans envisioned a more open, mixed-use environment with pedestrian plazas, new retail areas, housing, entertainment, offices, parking facilities, and other community-oriented uses. The departure of the remaining department stores accelerated the mall's decline. Macy's closed in March 2018 as part of a nationwide store-closure program, disrupting construction plans on its side of the property. J.C. Penney, the last remaining anchor, closed in October 2018. The enclosed mall ceased operations on December 31, 2018, although certain exterior-facing businesses remained open. The former enclosed structure was completely demolished in 2023. Redevelopment plans were subsequently revised and presented under the Village at Laguna Hills name. The later concept reduced the amount of traditional retail space and increased the emphasis on residential, office, hospitality, entertainment, and public-realm uses. The revised proposal discussed a cinema, a hotel, several hundred thousand square feet of retail and office space, parking structures, seasonal-event areas, and between approximately 1,200 and 1,500 additional apartments. The former mall is therefore best understood as a defunct shopping-center brand and a predecessor to a broader mixed-use development rather than as an operating enclosed mall.
History
Laguna Hills Mall opened in phases beginning in spring 1973 in Laguna Hills, a city in southern Orange County, California. Sears was the first major tenant to open, operating from an approximately 214,000-square-foot building. Buffums, a regional department-store chain, opened a two-level, approximately 50,000-square-foot store on September 5, 1973. The Broadway opened in August 1975, followed by J.C. Penney in 1976. At that stage, the development had grown from an initial phase of approximately 393,000 square feet and 55 stores to a second phase of approximately 832,000 square feet and 83 stores. The original development cost was reported at approximately $50 million. The center's early identity was built around traditional department stores supported by smaller specialty retailers, dining, and consumer services. Buffums closed in May 1991 after the chain was liquidated. Its former second floor was converted into an upstairs food court, which operated from 1994 until 2011. The food court was notable because it was the only part of the general mall that remained on a second level. The Broadway later became Macy's in May 1996, preserving one of the center's principal department-store positions under a different national brand. By the 2010s, changing shopping habits, department-store retrenchment, and the declining performance of many enclosed malls created pressure for a different use of the property. Merlone Geier Partners bought the mall from Simon Property Group in May 2013 and acquired the Sears anchor building in 2014. Sears closed in July 2014. Redevelopment and renovation work began in 2016, with the project associated with the proposed Five Lagunas name. Early plans contemplated a substantial retail component, pedestrian plazas, a large residential program, a cinema, new signage, and structured parking. The remaining anchors then disappeared. Macy's closed in March 2018 in connection with a national store-closure initiative, and the closure interrupted construction activity on its portion of the property. J.C. Penney closed in October 2018, making it the last of the original major anchor positions to leave. The enclosed mall closed on December 31, 2018. Some exterior stores remained open, but the property no longer functioned as a conventional enclosed shopping center. At a November 2019 city council meeting, Merlone Geier presented major changes to the redevelopment concept. The revised approach reduced the emphasis on conventional retail and introduced a more mixed-use program. Plans discussed a 110,000-square-foot cinema, approximately 225,000 to 300,000 square feet of retail, a 125-room hotel, approximately 390,000 to 520,000 square feet of office space, two three-story parking structures, seasonal-event areas, and a possible 1,200 to 1,500 additional apartments. The project became associated with the Village at Laguna Hills name. The former enclosed mall was completely demolished in 2023, marking the physical end of Laguna Hills Mall while exterior commercial uses and redevelopment activity continued on the broader site.
- 2023
Former mall is demolished
[1]The former enclosed mall structure is completely demolished during the transition toward the Village at Laguna Hills development.
- 2019
Redevelopment proposal is revised
[1]Merlone Geier presents a revised mixed-use plan emphasizing housing, offices, entertainment, hospitality, and a smaller retail program.
- 2018
Enclosed mall closes
[1]After Macy's and J.C. Penney depart, the enclosed mall closes on December 31.
- 2016
Redevelopment work begins
[1]Renovation and redevelopment work begins as the property is considered for transformation into a mixed-use destination.
- 2013
Property changes ownership
[1]Merlone Geier Partners acquires the mall from Simon Property Group.
- 1996
The Broadway becomes Macy's
[1]The Broadway store is converted to Macy's in May 1996.
- 1994
Former Buffums upper level becomes a food court
[1]The upper floor of the former Buffums store is converted into a food court, which operates until 2011.
- 1991
Buffums closes
[1]Buffums closes after its parent chain is liquidated.
- 1976
J.C. Penney joins the anchor lineup
[1]J.C. Penney opens at the center, completing the principal department-store lineup of the original development period.
- 1975
The Broadway opens
[1]The Broadway department store opens at the mall in August 1975.
Products and positioning
A regional suburban shopping mall serving southern Orange County, positioned around department-store anchors and a broad mix of specialty retail, dining, and consumer services. Its later redevelopment strategy shifted toward an open-air, mixed-use lifestyle destination.
Shopping center · 1973
Enclosed shopping mall
The core offering was a suburban enclosed shopping environment combining department-store anchors, specialty shops, food service, and customer amenities. Its retail model was particularly associated with the large department-store format that dominated American malls during the late twentieth century.
Dining · 1994
Food court
A food court operated from 1994 to 2011 in the converted upper level of the former Buffums store. It was the only portion of the general mall that operated on a second floor.
Mixed-use development
Village at Laguna Hills redevelopment
The successor concept replaces the former enclosed mall with a lifestyle-oriented mixed-use district incorporating retail, apartments, offices, entertainment, hospitality, parking, plazas, and public or seasonal-event areas.
Brand decisions
2019
Redevelopment plan is substantially revisedStrategyBackground
Following the closure of the enclosed mall and the departure of its department-store anchors, the owner reassessed the scale and balance of the planned project.
Action taken
At a November 2019 city council meeting, Merlone Geier presented a plan with approximately 225,000 to 300,000 square feet of retail, a 110,000-square-foot cinema, a 125-room hotel, office space, parking structures, seasonal-event areas, and additional apartments.
Aftermath
The property continued transitioning from a conventional mall into a mixed-use lifestyle destination. The original enclosed structure was later demolished in 2023.
2016
Shift from enclosed mall to lifestyle-center redevelopmentStrategyBackground
The property faced the loss of major department-store anchors and broader pressure on the enclosed-mall retail model.
Action taken
The owners began renovation and redevelopment work associated with the proposed Five Lagunas concept, including plans for plazas, new retail areas, housing, entertainment, and structured parking.
Aftermath
The project evolved into the Village at Laguna Hills concept, with a reduced retail component and a greater emphasis on residential, office, hotel, cinema, and community uses.
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